# Luis Hernández Garrido

> Luis Hernández Garrido is the co-founder and CEO of Uptodown, the independent software distribution platform started with José Domínguez at the University of Málaga in 2002. His work centers on open access to software, user choice and independent distribution. He also runs Side Project Games and writes about programming, app stores and AI.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Uptodown
- **Organizations:** Uptodown, Side Project Games
- **From:** Málaga, Spain
- **Education:** Computer Engineering studies, University of Málaga, Further training in sustainable product development; exact credential unspecified, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Built Uptodown with José Domínguez without outside investment, as described in interviews through 2025., Reported 130 million monthly unique users and 450 million downloads in March 2021., Supported student-industry connections through Google Activate and local Barcamp events.

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Co-founded Uptodown with José Domínguez while studying at the University of Málaga.
- **2011** — Moved Uptodown into mobile software distribution, according to his 2023 retrospective.
- **2014** — Continued his training at Harvard Business School.
- **2022** — Launched Side Project Games to continue programming and experimenting alongside running Uptodown.
- **2025** — Returned to Málaga in July after a year in Berkeley, California.
- **2026** — Announced Uptodown CLI for Windows and macOS in August.

## Achievements

- Built Uptodown with José Domínguez without outside investment, as described in interviews through 2025.
- Reported 130 million monthly unique users and 450 million downloads in March 2021.
- Supported student-industry connections through Google Activate and local Barcamp events.
- Developed a one-person game studio alongside his executive role.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Announced Uptodown CLI for Windows and macOS, describing software discovery and installation for people and AI agents.
- **2026-03** — Published an essay on how the term sideloading frames ordinary software installation.
- **2025-12** — Announced Uptodown’s Transparency Center on his personal blog.
- **2025-07** — Reported returning to Málaga after a year in Berkeley.
- **2025-05** — Published his experiments using language models to play classic graphic adventure games.

## Links

- Website: https://luishg.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luishgcom/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/luishg
- GitHub: https://github.com/luishg
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjR4aFZdKhE9J14flfZgW-Q

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/luis-hernandez-garrido
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12